#TRYBENOBLE: How It All Started

#TRYBENOBLE: How It All Started

I must confess, I have not been this excited about writing in recent times but I was really encouraged by the feedback I got from the first episode and I owe the motivation for this episode to all of you reading and leaving comments. If you are just joining the Trybe, you may need to read part one here and then come back to continue with today’s episode.

Let’s talk about my friend, OG, and how our friendship started from our days at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. OG was about 2 years ahead of me in university and together with Bassman, they indirectly contributed to all the ‘carryovers’ I had in uni.

#TrybeNoble: Noble Igwe and his Trybe

OG grew up in Onitsha, Bassman in Enugu while I was the small Aba boy who they gave the privilege of their friendship, although Bassman was also my senior at Federal Government College, Okigwe.

Like OG, Bassman was in third year when I got in. It did not matter that we had different lecture timetables, I spent most of my free time hanging out with them and ‘stabbing’ lectures. What I was not learning in the class, I learnt from the streets of Enugu.

Bassman taught me to swim at Zodiac Hotel, Chijioke Okonkwo taught me how to ‘slope’ a car low on petrol with the gear in neutral and because OG was in my department, it was easy to ‘crash-read’ with him while he showed me the short cuts. We did basically everything together.

I remember one birthday party I had during my Industrial Training(IT) in Lagos. These dudes came to party with me at my cousin’s place in Aguda, Surulere. Listen, I know you may not believe me, but the party was lit! I have pictures to prove that. I had on a ‘New York’ T-Shirt which was not exactly made in America, because you know, few things sold in Aba then were imported and if you had an eye for fashion, it didn’t matter where it was made as long as it looked good. Same thing applies to fashion till date.

My IT days at Mangoro, Ikeja were memorable and going to work was fun. I would wake up early, take a bike or walk from Aguda to Cele Bus stop, cross to the other side of the road and get on the bus.

I know some of you are here because you want to find out what happened when I walked into C’s room. I will get back there in a bit. For now, we have to make sure you understand that I go way back with OG.

Let’s get something straight, this is not a grass to grace story, I’m just sharing the journey of my hustle and all the different aspects of my life but more especially the support I have gotten from my Trybe from day one.

Speaking of which, I’d be at Vapours tonight at the launch of Airtel Smart Trybe, You can come hang with me.

To paint a clearer picture on this series, I’d be moving between growing up in Aba and moving to Lagos, heartbreaks and my love for fashion.

Back to that moment I walked into her room.

I didn’t know that C was back from work and I was concerned about the noise coming from her room. At first, I wasn’t sure if I should open the door because you have to remember that as a squatter you have limited rights but after waiting outside the door for a while, I decided to open door to surprise the intruder and there she was eating fired plantain while counting money.

C: Nna, O gini ?

Nobs: Mba, I was hearing noise from outside the door, so I wanted to check

C: Do you want plantain?

Nobs: Yes but I hope you’d pay me after eating.

C: You are already half way towards making your own money and if you put in the drive I see, you’d be successful in Lagos.

That singular conversation went on to shape my life and encouraged me to work harder. Let me tell you, C accepting to squat me was a big deal and even though she didn’t have a car at that time, she accepted me as her family and together we used to join their neighbor to the Island for work everyday.

Growing up in Aba, you wake up at 8am for an 8:30am appointment but moving to Lagos, Mans was waking up at 5am, spend time in traffic just to get to the office at 8am. Few months later, I moved from Gbagada to a BQ on Alexandra in Ikoyi and that was my first apartment in Lagos as a man.

Moving to Ikoyi came with a gift and a curse, the gift, the BQ belonged to a general in the Nigerian Army and as such I enjoyed uninterrupted power supply from the main house and then curse, you can’t come in the compound after 9pm. To go clubbing, I had to arrange with someone to let me stay at their place or stay in the club until 5:30am.

Like this:

Nobs is a SLU…shh trust fund kid who works just to exercise his body and mind.
He’s “Unruly” but as calm as the “ABE” boys.
Referred to as FYI (Fly, Young and Igbo) by his friends, Nobs says iT tHe wAy iT iS.
Follow him on Twitter @nobsdaslushhkid
Enough of the English language……..My name is Noble Igwe,go figure!